Polar bears have vast natural home ranges and complex behavioral needs that are extremely difficult to meet in captivity, leading to high rates of stereotypic behavior.
Polar bears present one of the starkest mismatches between natural behavioral ecology and captive conditions. Animals adapted to patrol ranges of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers cannot have their spatial needs met in any conceivable zoo enclosure. The result - near-universal stereotypic pacing - indicates chronic psychological distress. Some progressive zoos have moved away from keeping polar bears on welfare grounds, while others argue their conservation communication value justifies continued captivity with maximum enrichment. The welfare science clearly indicates polar bears are among the species least suited to captive environments.